It’s 7:15 am and Sam Hinkie has just arrived at the Penrose Diner.
I’ve already been there for fifteen minutes.
He looks around and pulls out his phone.
I stride up to him and introduce myself.
First impressions are an important thing and given the chance to make one, I do.
Sam is here to answer questions but he isn’t exactly here to answer questions.
In front of a crowd of reporters at the Wells Fargo Center today, Allen Iverson finally closed the book on his basketball career. It was a decision which had taken Iverson three years of contemplation, before he finally decided what he believes is the best route for him and his family at this stage of his life.
Iverson statistically is one of the most decorated Sixers players of all time and — like LeBron James stated earlier this week — is likely the best pound-for-pound basketball player to ever play the game.
He was the 2001 NBA MVP and an 11-time All-Star. He won four NBA scoring titles, three steals titles, was a part of three NBA First Team’s and Second Team’s and won the 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Continue Reading
With the Sixers’ Global Game in Manchester, England against the Oklahoma City Thunder kicking off today, what better way to prep for the game then to hear all about what it’s like to be a Sixers fan in the U.K. from a friend to the site, Robert Covell.
Covell has been following the Sixers across the pond from the early ’80s and is excited about the expansion of the NBA’s popularity in Europe in the coming years.
After the jump, I’ll delve into what Covell and I talked about regarding the Sixers, the NBA’s expansion into Europe as well as what it’s like to be a fan in Euroland.
Yesterday during a lengthy media session, 76ers head coach Brett Brown had some very interesting comments on former Temple star and friend of this site, Khalif Wyatt.
When asked about Wyatt, a rookie who comes to camp on a partially guaranteed contract, Brown said, “I think he’s tempting. There’s a tantalizing part of him, you know, ‘Is he Gary Neal?” – a scoring point guard, or [something] very similar. Khalif passes very well, Khalif has a knack for scoring, Khalif’s got to get in great shape…”
After the jump, more of Brown’s thoughts on Wyatt as well as the recent interview Khalif did for Philadunkia.
On Thursday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer initially reported that the Philadelphia 76ers and Temple product Khalif Wyatt agreed to a partially guaranteed, multi-year contract.
Wyatt officially signed the papers on Friday evening, following in the footsteps of Lavoy Allen and becoming the second Temple Owl from the Fran Dunphy era to being his NBA career with the Sixers.
The contract comes after Wyatt, a 6-4 guard who went undrafted in the 2013 Draft, averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds on 45.8 percent shooting in 5 games with the 76ers during the Orlando Pro Summer League in July.
On Friday, Philadunkia scribe Jake Fischer called up a very humbled Wyatt, just hours after his NBA dream became realized. After the jump is Philadunkia’s exclusive interview with Wyatt, his first since putting pen to paper and officially becoming a member of the Sixers.
Every single player in the NBA will tell you, that it’s a long road full of hard work to get to where they are today. There are plenty of dreamers in every city in America who hope to one day make it to the League, spending hours and hours each day perfecting their craft in order to move themselves closer to their ultimate goal. Some have the height, some have the talent, some have the heart and determination, but a very minuscule number actually get the chance to play in the League and an even smaller number actually get their names called on draft night every year.
Lavoy Allen is one of those exceptions. In 2011, the Sixers selected Allen with the 50th pick in the 2nd round. 11 picks later and he would’ve missed the cut, having to prove everything he could at an NBA team’s invitation to training camp that he’s worth a contract as an Undrafted FA. ESPN, as his former Twitter handle read, even ranked him as the worst player in the NBA before his rookie year began, as “Mr. 500″.
Yet, here Allen is, about to embark on his third season in the League and not letting the odds or critics bring him down.
Allen averaged career highs in points (5.8) and rebounds (5) per game last season for the Sixers while starting in 37 games.
Philadunkia’s Jeff McMenamin got a chance to catch up with Allen on Tuesday night, where he was a panel speaker for the Beyond Sports Summit – an event which raises awareness on the impact that sports has in being a catalyst towards social change throughout the world.
From a basketball perspective new 76er Royce White, who once was considered a top 5 talent in the 2012 NBA draft, could be a huge addition to the Sixers front court.
As a high school kid, White was named “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Minnesota and he averaged 13 points 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game with Iowa State. Last season in 16 games with Houston’s D-League affiliate, White had averages of 11 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists per night.
Statistics like these from a power forward who allegedly “can’t shoot” are outrageously impressive. But imagine if he added a shooting stroke — White’s ceiling would be ridiculous.
Still, if the power forward is ever to get on the court in the NBA and realize his potential, the 76ers need to equip White with every tool possible to help him best deal with the mental health issue that his holding back his NBA development. White’s condition which is commonly referred to as general anxiety (specifically for White it is the anxiety of flying) and as we all know, it keeps him from traveling to games with the team. Sam Hinkie & Co. will now go down in the history of the NBA for implementing the first “system”, good or bad, for dealing with general anxiety in a player. Thus, White’s career, fair or unfair, will affect the career of every future NBA player with a mental health issue.
On a recent pod cast with Landolakers.com White talked about everything regarding his mental issue and his plans to get on the court this year for the 76ers. After the jump we’ve transcribed for you some of his quotes from that interview and provided some reacts to the power forward’s words…
The 76ers made a number of bold moves during the 2012 off-season that for one reason or another did not work out in the best interest of the franchise. Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Nick Young and Jason Richardson immediately come to mind.
However, the one acquisition the Sixers made prior to last season that worked out beautifully was the addition of television sideline reporter Molly Sullivan. Think about it for a minute.
Sullivan appeared in more games than Bynum and Brown combined, made better on-court decisions than Swaggy P and her number is certainly more cap friendly then Jason Richardson’s.
In short, you don’t need advanced analytics to determine that Sullivan was the newcomer of the year in Philadunkia nation.
The lovely and talented (borrowing that line from David Letterman) Sullivan recently gave Philadunkia editor C. Smith a few minutes via email to answer a number of Sixers related questions. After the jump, Sullivan talks Andrew Bynum, the Holiday trade, the end of the DC era and racing Ryan Lochte in the pool.
A simple phone call during the 2013 NBA Draft changed the face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise for good when point guard Jrue Holiday was shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans for forward Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick.
Holiday was a budding star for the 76ers and the most well-known amongst fans. He was an All-Star last season and led the team in both points and assists. Jrue averaged career-high’s with 17.7 points and 8.0 assists per game. His efforts were strong enough to get him an invitation to Team USA basketball mini-camp at the end of the month in Las Vegas.
With Holiday out of town, the baton is now passed to forward Thaddeus Young.
Young, the longest tenured Sixer on the teams roster, also had a strong performance last season of 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals last season in his first full season as a starter. He’ll have to shoulder the load for the Sixers offensively while rookie Michael Carter-Williams adjusts to his role as the teams new point guard and Noel recovers from a torn ACL.
Philadunkia scribe Jeff McMenamin had the chance to talk with Young about his reaction to the draft night trade, being the new face of the franchise, his thoughts on Andrew Bynum leaving town and what he expects from the team in the future.
It’s thirty minutes after the Sixers third straight loss in the OPSL, and lottery pick Michael Carter-Williams emerges from the locker room with ice packs on his knees and a smile on his face.
You would think, and it would be understandable, that the 6’5 point guard would be exhibiting some amount of frustration over his summer team’s record and his personal performance (15-60 shooting). But on the contrary, Carter-Williams’ body language is upbeat and his mind is focused on the future. As the interview commenced, the first question I asked was about his struggles shooting at OPSL and if he attributes that to tough defense or shots just not falling.
“It’s a little bit of everything. I’m getting the shots I want it’s just about me knocking them down,” Carter-Williams opened up.
